As National Wildlife Federation’s naturalist and media personality, I do a monthly appearance on the Today Show, usually during the 4th hour with Kathie Lee and Hoda. Each time, I bring a variety of animal ambassadors to help inspire the millions of viewers to care about wildlife and to join in NWF’s conservation efforts.

I’ve been doing this Today Show stint for over four years at this point, so the ladies and I have become pretty comfortable with each other.

The Great American Backyard Campout is this Saturday, June 22. Families all across the country will head outside for a little old-fashioned camping fun (you can too – find out how right here).

To get into the spirit, I made camping the theme my monthly appearance on the Today Show. I brought on a few animals that you might see or hear (yes, I did my best impression of a gray treefrog call) while you’re camping out this weekend.

I also had a special camping-themed challenge in store for Kathie Lee and Hoda. Watch the segment to see what I made them do. It’s pretty hysterical. Camping experts they might not be, but they are certainly good sports.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2013/06/kathie-lee-and-hoda-campout-on-today-show/feed/7Warthogs and Snake Poop on Today Showhttp://blog.nwf.org/2012/09/warthogs-and-snake-poop-on-today-show/
http://blog.nwf.org/2012/09/warthogs-and-snake-poop-on-today-show/#commentsThu, 13 Sep 2012 15:19:46 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=66513This week I did my monthly appearance on the 4th hour of the Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda (TV’s guiltiest pleasure, according to Entertainment Weekly magazine). As always, I brought on some great wildlife ambassadors to help inspire viewers to protect wildlife.

And as sometimes happens when working with animals, the unpredictable happened.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2012/09/warthogs-and-snake-poop-on-today-show/feed/0Hoda Holds a Scorpionhttp://blog.nwf.org/2012/03/hoda-holds-a-scorpion/
http://blog.nwf.org/2012/03/hoda-holds-a-scorpion/#commentsTue, 27 Mar 2012 15:32:35 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=51168Here’s a clip of NWF’s most recent appearance on the Today Show with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb to promote National Wildlife Week.

Of the two hosts, Hoda is a the more skittish when it comes to the animals I bring on the show, especially when it comes to touching or holding them. So I was particularly proud of her this time around, as she bravely held out her hand to hold a creature that is actually venomous, an emperor scorpion.

Watch the segment and join me in congratulating Hoda on her bravery, which helped me get the message out that just because an animal has the ability to sting (or bite or scratch or whatever) doesn’t mean it needs to be unnecessarily feared, just respected.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2012/03/hoda-holds-a-scorpion/feed/0Bobcats, Armadillos, Coatimundis and Kathie Leehttp://blog.nwf.org/2012/02/bobcats-armadillos-coatimundis-and-kathie-le/
http://blog.nwf.org/2012/02/bobcats-armadillos-coatimundis-and-kathie-le/#commentsThu, 02 Feb 2012 18:08:36 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=43854What do a bobcat, a nine-banded armadillo, a veiled chameleon, a wallaby and a white-nosed coatimundi have in common? Three of them happen to be wildlife that could show up in your backyard, but the correct answer is that they all accompanied me to New York City this week for NWF’s most recent appearance on the Today Show.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2012/02/bobcats-armadillos-coatimundis-and-kathie-le/feed/0NWF on Today Showhttp://blog.nwf.org/2010/04/nwf-on-today-show/
http://blog.nwf.org/2010/04/nwf-on-today-show/#commentsThu, 22 Apr 2010 16:56:37 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/2010/04/nwf-on-today-show/NWF’s Naturalist David Mizejewski, here. Each month, I appear on the Today Show along with four or five amazing animals. My goal is to inspire the millions of Today Show viewers to care about wildlife and help protect it with National Wildlife Federation. (Ok, I’ll admit that one of my other goals is to freak out Kathie Lee and Hoda!)

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2010/04/nwf-on-today-show/feed/0Animal Olympians – Part 4http://blog.nwf.org/2010/02/animal-olympians-part-4/
http://blog.nwf.org/2010/02/animal-olympians-part-4/#commentsTue, 23 Feb 2010 15:49:32 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/2010/02/animal-olympians-part-4/Here’s the fourth installment in our Animal Olympians series. Don’t forget to tune in to my next appearance on the Today Showtomorrow, February 24, where I’ll be bringing some animal Olympians to share with Kathie Lee and Hoda.

Sooty Shearwater and Arctic Tern When it comes to long distance endurance, there’s a heated rivalry between two sea birds. For years, the Arctic tern held the title of the bird with the longest migration, traveling from the Arctic all the way to the Antarctic, and back again, each year. They literally migrate from one end of the planet to another. Then, scientists discovered that the sooty shearwater also has an impressive migratory journey, beginning in New Zealand and ending in the North Pacific. Each bird was estimated to travel over 40,000 miles annually.

However, a recent study reports that the Arctic tern can go as far as 50,000 miles, making it the favorite in this year’s Animal Olympics. But who will take the gold and who will settle for the silver is anyone’s guess! One thing is sure, compared to these two avian migrants, the Pacific gray whale, the longest migrating mammal, can only hope for the bronze with a round-trip journey of only 12,000 miles.